


play the music low (and sway to the rhythm of love)

by useyernamesteven



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F, These dorks, Tumblr Prompt, tunnel of love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 05:36:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11525625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/useyernamesteven/pseuds/useyernamesteven
Summary: Reduxrose said: "Fic Prompt: The rangers are at the Beach Boardwalk for a day off and they all want to go on a roller coaster but Trini's too short to ride so Kim jokingly decides that the two of them will go on the Tunnel of Love instead. Cue Kim and Trini on a swan shaped boat in the cheesiest ride possible and Kim loving every minute of it while Trini is just malfunctioning from so much gayness lmaooo"Title from "Rhythm of Love" by the Plain White T's.





	play the music low (and sway to the rhythm of love)

**Author's Note:**

> I had no idea this prompt had been in my inbox but hopefully this makes up for that. Let me know what y'all think! Come talk to me on tumblr @fanfictioner25

It’s Zack’s idea to get out of Angel Grove for a little R&R and it’s Kim’s idea to drive down to Santa Cruz for a beach day, but it’s Billy’s idea to hit up the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for some much needed fun and games. And can anyone really say no to Billy? Jason drives while Trini mans the aux cord.

When they get there the rangers spend the morning walking through the vendor’s tents and playing games. (Jason is definitely pouting after losing several rounds at the ring toss, but ends up grinning ear to ear when he wins a giant teddy bear at the ‘test your strength’ hammer game. No one comments on his subtle use of ranger strength or his obvious blush as he gives the bear to Billy who wiggles happily before pulling their fearless leader in for a hug).

They stop for lunch around noon and end up filling an entire picnic table with an assortment of boardwalk delicacies (two pizzas, five burgers, nine funnel cakes, three bags of cotton candy, two plates of fries, and a twelve pack of Dr. Pepper). The looks on the surrounding patrons faces as the five of them polish off everything in a matter of minutes is flat out comical.

They dedicate the afternoon to rides. Thankfully they’re moving through the lines fairly quickly so they decide to start on the smaller rides before making their way up to the bigger and faster thrill rides. The only ride they have yet to go on is the Giant Dipper, a wooden roller coaster that twists and races through the turns so quickly you think you’ll go flying out of your seat. The thing looks pretty awesome. There’s just one problem…

“Hijo de puta!” Trini curses at the height indication sign dangling two inches above her head. She kicks the metal pole, not hard enough to dent it, but enough to earn a glare from the watching ride attendant. Trini shoots the guy a glare in return before Jason gently pulls her off to the side with everyone else.

“Aw, it’s okay T. One day when you grow up you’ll be as tall as the rest of us!”

Trini growls and swipes at Jason who neatly hops out of her radius. Zack snickers and holds up his hand for a high five.

Kim rolls her eyes. “Come on you two. Making fun of Trini’s shortness? How _belittling_.”

Trini snarls at the other girl but Kim merely smiles back and wraps her arms around the shorter girl’s neck, pulling the littlest ranger into her chest and smothering her. Trini thanks her lucky Zords no one can see how red her face suddenly gets.

“It’s okay Trini. We can just skip this one.” Billy says, squishing his teddy bear much like Kim was doing to her.

Trini pulls her head as far back as Kim allows, spitting out a piece of her hair and giving Billy a sympathetic smile. “Thanks B, but you guys should go ahead. I don’t want to spoil this for all of you.”

“I’ll wait with you,” Kim says, finally releasing Trini from her hug-hold and reaching to hold her hand instead, squeezing it lightly.

“Y-you don’t have to do that.” Trini winces at how high her voice sounds and at the way her words trip up. The heat must really be getting to her head now; probably why her cheeks feel like they’re burning up as well. Because it certainly has _nothing_ to do with her insanely gorgeous best-friend currently holding her hand and smiling her mega-watt grin at her.

No. Not in the slightest.

“Come on Trin. The coaster’s a three-seater anyways, so this works out perfectly. The boys will go on the ride and we’ll hang out while we wait. Just the two of us.” Kim winks and Trini feels her knees wobble. Zack has this shit-eating grin plastered on his face and looks like he’s about to make some kind of comment that’ll really make Trini’s cheeks burn, but she beats him to the punch—literally, she punches him in the gut before pulling Kim in the opposite direction as the guys.

“Uh, yeah. Okay, sure. Let’s just- um, yup.” (Trini Gomez: the suave-iest ladies-lady).

The boys jump on the end of the line while the girls wander back through the games and the smaller rides, most of which they’d done already. Kim points out a few things, making a joke every so often, but the little yellow ranger can hardly focus on what’s happening around them because she’s trying her damnedest not to freak out over the fact that Kim’s still holding her hand.

But it’s not like they haven’t held hands before, because they have; such an action was essentially a daily requirement, a stipulation of being friends with Kimberly Hart. As far as Trini has gathered, Kim loves physical contact and isn’t shy about initiating it either.

The first time Kim and her held hand was about a week after Rita’s attack. They were sitting together in biology, working on a project, when the fire alarm went off. Everyone had jumped, not expecting the piercing wail in the otherwise quiet classroom, and Trini felt Kim’s hand clamp down tightly on her own. Her eyes looked wild and she was breathing too hard, too fast. Trini glanced at the iron grip Kim had on her hand and noticed the tell-tale signs of Kim’s pink armor wrapping around her wrist.

Their teacher ushered everyone out of the room and Trini kept to Kim’s side, not that Kim’s hold on her would have allowed her to go anywhere else. Luckily their hands remained hidden between the two of them and it wasn’t until they were outside and as far away from the growing crowd did Kim’s grip ease up and she started to relax. And it wasn’t until they were told they could go back inside did Kim finally let go of Trini’s hand.

Now Trini can understand the need for contact in that kind of situation. Kim was scared and need a little comforting. What Trini can’t wrap her head around is the gradual increase in touching Kim does after that incident. Little brushes as they walk to class. Occasionally leaning on her during breaks in training. Playing with Trini’s hair while they studied together. Cuddling up on the couch for ranger movie marathons. And hugging. Lots of hugging apparently.

You know, things platonic besties do.

And it’s not like Trini has ever experienced this kind of thing with other friends, because she’s never had a friend close enough to do this with. And it’s not like she can just flat out ask Kim if it’s normal for friends to be this affectionate with each other… that’ll just make her sound weird.

But in all honesty, Trini doesn’t really mind it. Kind of likes it, in fact (which just makes her an even bigger creep than she already feels like) but it’s not like her family shows a lot of love physically, and it’s been a while since she’s hugged another human being, so sue her if she likes it when Kim wraps her up in one every now and again.

But of course that’s not the end of it. That’s really only the beginning because Trini’s just one big gay mess of emotions and feelings, and Kimberly Hart is beautiful and loveable and absolutely amazing, so is it really a surprise to anyone when she starts crushing on her?

Apparently not, at least according to Zack who had dragged her off after training one day for a little “bro bonding” and had essentially called her out on staring at Kim’s ass all practice, which like, yeah guilty as charged, but in her defense Kim had been wearing spandex… _just spandex_. Trini’s surprised she was cognizant enough to even punch that day.

That isn’t to say she’s always functional when Kim is being especially… _Kimberly_. Trini had almost face planted in the parking lot at school once when Kim had shown up wearing the tiniest skirt known to man. She even had the audacity to wink at her before walking into the building with a little more sway in her hips (not that Trini had noticed) (she totally did). Or the time she’d accidentally put a hole in the wall of the ship when she’d accidentally walked into Kim’s cabin while she had been changing and Kim had asked if she saw anything she liked (which like… duh).

And let’s not forget the movie night Jason had picked out _The Conjuring_ and Kim had curled into her side and hid her face in her neck for just about the entire movie. And had then proceeded to sleepover for three additional weeks because she’s was too scared to sleep alone. Trini hadn’t gotten much sleep those three weeks, not while Kim was pressed against her side and breathing softly into the back of her neck.

But lately, Trini’s noticed something else going on. Something changing. Or maybe she really is just crazy and it’s nothing at all, but she _swears_ that Kim’s been extra clingy and extra affectionate towards her recently. Their casual coffee dates and sleepovers suddenly feel _charged_ , like at any moment something monumental is supposed to happen. Trini can feel it in the way they talk, how naturally their conversations flow and how long they last, but she feels it prominently in the pauses, the comfortable silences where they just stare at each other. And Trini’s desperate to ask Kim if she feels it too, the static in the air around them, _between_ them, but then the moment passes and the feeling slips into the background once more, not noticeable but always present.

And Trini’s kind of terrified, she’ll admit to that at least. Because she’s known she’s been in love with Kim for months now, but she’s also fairly certain Kim would never see her as more than a friend. Trini’s ninety… well, okay, eigh… sev… at least fifty percent sure Kim’s straight (and quite possibly into Jason) but Trini isn’t going to take any chances. Not with those odds. Not when there’s too much at stake, so much to lose if it all goes wrong. Kim could reject her, or laugh at her, or what if her confession makes Kim uncomfortable and she loses her best-friend? And then what would happen to the Power Rangers?

She can’t risk everything they’ve built together. So Trini’s just going to take deep breaths and idly twiddle her thumbs and pretend like she’s perfectly content with being Kim’s platonic best friend. And pretend like she’s not absolutely in love with her. And Trini will just have to pick up the pieces of her heart, the pieces Kim has managed to take from her and write her initials all over, when Kim eventually stops holding them.

“Will you quit brooding and answer me?”

Trini shakes her head, her attention snapping back to the present. “Uh- I’m sorry, what was that?”

Kim playfully rolls her eyes. “I asked you if you wanted to play some more games and get some food. Or we can go on something we haven’t gone on yet.”

“But we’ve been on all the rides.”

“Well… we haven’t gone on that one.” Kim points to a small line leading down to what looks like a water ride with white swan-shaped boats. Trini reads the sign over the entrance and throws her head back laughing.

“Oh fuck no.”

“What? We haven’t been on it and you’re actually tall enough for it. Come on!” Using a bit of ranger strength Kim pulls a now protesting Trini into the line beside her.

“Wait, you’re not serious right?”

Kim smirks, nodding vigorously. “Absolutely.”

“But- Kim wait, this is… I-I don’t… don’t-”

“You don’t want to go in the Tunnel of Love with me?” Kim turns to Trini, pushing her lower lip into a pout and widening her eyes so she looks perfectly pitiful.

Ah shit. Kim knows Trini’s such a sucker for the ‘puppy dog face’ (really she’s just a sucker for Kimberly) because whenever Kim pouts, Trini caves. Every. Fucking. Time. One of these days she’ll build up a tolerance to that look—but really, who is she trying to kid? The only thing that could possibly make this any worse would be-

“Please? For me?”

Fuck. Okay now that’s just cheating.

Trini gulps, feeling an army of putties suddenly come to life in her stomach. Her palms suddenly feel like she stuck them under a faucet and she has to remind herself that there’s no way Kim can hear how fast her heart is beating with this many people around.

This is bad. This is _so bad._

“How many?”

Kim spins to face the employee running the ride, pout gone and chipper grin in place. “Two please!”

The woman ushers them into a small white swan just pulling up to the loading dock and Trini has just enough time to realize she didn’t actually agree to this before she’s pulled into the boat and heading down a lazy river.

Mercifully Kim had released her hand when they had sat down so now Trini is as far over on the bench as she can get, putting a sizeable distance between herself and Kim. “I can’t believe you made me do this,” she laments, crossing her arms over her chest and schooling her features to look as annoyed as possible, because she’s definitely freaking out a little under the surface. Trini’s convinced this is what a gay panic feels like.

_Best-friend, best-friend, she’s your **straight** best-friend! Get it together Gomez!_

But Kim doesn’t seem to mind or thankfully acknowledge Trini’s odd behavior. Instead she smiles and sticks her tongue out, relaxing into her seat as they wait to enter the tunnel. “Oh please. Knowing you, you’ll pretend to hate it but actually love it because you’re such a _softie_.”

Trini growls, low and mischievous, and Kim squeals as Trini’s fingers dig into her side. The swan sloshes a little and the couple in front of them turn to glance at the commotion. The girls separate with identical grins.

“I’ll get you for that one Hart.”

“Bring it on babe.”

One word. One word is all it takes and suddenly Trini’s practically melting into a gay puddle in her seat. Quickly she turns into her side of the bench, mostly so Kim won’t see her all flustered and blushing, but also so she won’t see the dare in Kim’s smirk or the glint in her eyes and suddenly forget how to do the simplest things like _breathe._

But it would seem Trini’s efforts to distance herself from the other girl were simply all in vain because as soon as their boat passes beneath the archway and into the dark, Trini feels Kim press tightly into her side and one of her hands land on her knee.

(Trini.exe has stopped working).

“This is exciting. I’ve never been on one of these before. Oh look!” But Trini barely registers whatever it is that Kim’s pointing at, too preoccupied with restoring her mental faculties, which is proving to be really difficult with the distracting weight of Kim’s hand on her knee. Trini’s pulse is thundering in her ears, muting the rides soft music playing overhead, and she forces herself to take calm, even breaths.

It’s _fine_. Everything is fine. Kim is just a touchy-feely person, which is not news to her, and it doesn’t have to mean anything, even if the warmth radiating from Kim’s hand is making her head spin and her heart palpitate… but it’s _fine_ , she’s totally cool with this, with the romantic lighting and the music and Kim leaning into her side and whispering something into her ear, her breath tickling the sensitive skin and making Trini shiver and _how long is this fucking ride?!_

Trini isn’t sure how long she spends trying to calm herself down—somewhere between a minute and an eternity—but she’s been so focused on remaining outwardly collected that she hardly registers when Kim grows quiet. She’s only partly aware of Kim reclining back in her seat but she’s fully aware of when Kim removes her hand from Trini’s leg, and she tells herself to ignore the slight tingle of disappointment because it’s probably much better for her sanity anyways.

But then Kim yawns.

And it’s like the world suddenly slows and time stops and Trini’s sure she’s hallucinating because there is just _no way_ …

Kim yawns, loud and exaggerated, raising both arms over her head as she stretches unnecessarily, and she leans into Trini just the tiniest bit so that when she brings her arms back down, one comes to rest across Trini’s shoulders. Trini’s head snaps towards Kim, befuddled and incredulous, almost positive she’s crossed into the Twilight Zone and half expecting to see Lady Gaga sitting next to her, but there’s just Kim.

Kim who’s extremely close and smiling down at her, all soft edges and warm inviting lips, eyes darting across Trini’s face before resting on her mouth, eyelids dropping, leaning in…

Trini vaults forward, rocking the boat a little, and Kim’s arm falls away from her shoulders. The movement startles the other girl into pulling away, but only slightly. Trini spins to face her fellow ranger, jaw lost somewhere by their feet. “Did you just-”

Kim’s smile falters. “O-oh… well I just- um…” Kim swallows and her cheeks grow as pink as her suit, tussling her hair and gnawing on her lower lip, both ticks Trini knows are a sign that Kim’s nervous. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just thought… w-well, this is all pretty romantic, you know? And I’ve been trying to- I mean, I’ve kind of had a…” Kim huffs, dragging her hand down her face in frustration. “Okay, yeah so, Trini I-”

“Are you hitting on me?” Trini doesn’t realize her thoughts were voiced until Kim looks back up at her, a surprised arch in her brow, and she feels her body flush from head to toe.

But then Kim levels her with a look that makes Trini’s heart leap into her throat when she quietly mutters, “I’m trying to.”

Huh…

Well, guess you learn something new every day.

Kim leans forward, slowly and a bit cautiously, like she’s afraid touching Trini again will make her pull back even more, and she carefully lays one hand over Trini’s and the other reaches out to softly cup her jaw. Trini swallows hard, sure that at any second she’s going to wake up in the hospital having passed out from heat exhaustion and all of this will just turn into some fevered dream.

But Kim’s hands are warm and solid and Trini really, _really_ hopes she isn’t dreaming.

“Trin, I like you. I’m- not the best at being direct, but this is me trying to, at least. Because you make me feel, geez I don’t know, _everything_. Like I’m actually kind of worth it? Worth _this_ , whatever you want this to be. If you want this? Because for the longest time I’ve just wanted to… well, I was wondering… or if I could take you- I mean if _you’d_ honor me with- no, wait let me start over. Trini-”

Trini doesn’t remember telling her body to lean into Kim or telling her chin to tilt up, her nose brushing against Kim’s, the other girl’s eyes widening and both of them gasping, or telling her eyes to slip shut as Kim’s lips skim along hers…

But hey, she’s certainly not complaining.

Trini’s never been a fan of clichés. The whole “fireworks exploding behind the eyelids” thing just always sounded way too corny for her tastes.

What she will admit to, though, is the way Kim’s lips make her feel like her insides are made of cotton, how the kiss is soft and steady and warm. That it feels like she’s morphing for the first time all over again because it just feels so natural. So _right._

There’s a bright flash and Trini thinks she should give that whole “fireworks” trope more credit than she originally thought, but then Kim adjusts the angle so their kisses are deeper, and fuller, and Trini moans embarrassingly loud, because _holy fuck_ Kimberly Hart is a good fucking kisser. But the affect the noise has on Kim is instantaneous and thrilling because now both her hands are in Trini’s hair, anchored there and pulling her in tightly, and when Kim gently licks at her bottom lip and into her mouth, Trini feels herself implode.

They pull back a minute later, slightly breathless and smiling like crazy. “Wow,” Kim rasps and Trini wants to groan as the sound sends electricity zipping through her veins.

“Yeah. Wow.” And Trini can’t help the small giggle bubbling in her throat, but it’s contagious because now they’re both laughing, light and heartfelt. It’s kind of perfect.

“Alright! Watch your hands and feet as you exit the swan. Make sure you have all your belongings. And will the girls kissing in swan 4 please exit the bird? Thank-you.”

Kim smiles, wide and just a little bit smug, and Trini has to forcibly yank the other ranger from the boat. And now they’re back to holding hands, only this time Trini isn’t panicking; she’s too frickin ecstatic to be.

They reach the exit where a few other riders are milling about by the photo booth, examining the pictures taken from the ride. They spot the boys then. Or at least what’s left of them. Jason’s shirt is ripped down the middle and Billy’s bear is missing it’s head. Zack looks decent enough except he’s soaked to the bone and still dripping.

“What the hell happened to you guys?” Kim asks while Trini reaches up with her free hand to playfully ruffle Zack’s hair.

Jason sighs, exasperated. “Don’t ask. Just know we didn’t get to ride the coaster and Zack nearly go us all killed.”

“Hey! How was I supposed to know that kid’s dad was a professional MMA fighter? And you know I almost had that kid too!” Zack defends, batting Trini’s hand away.

“Zack he was four.”

“So?”

Jason grunts, looking ready to throttle Zack so Billy quickly interjects. “So what about you girls? What did you do?”

Kim and Trini share a look and Trini feels her cheeks warm as Kim’s smile triples in size and smugness. “Oh you know,” she says nonchalantly as she pulls Trini into her side and wraps her arm around her waist, “just went on a ride. Had some fun.”

The boys look well beyond confused, but then something catches Zack’s eye and suddenly they’re widening to the size of dinner plates. He slaps Jason’s arm repeatedly to garner the boy’s attention, gesturing at the photo booth and sputtering. The rest of the gang look to what he’s pointing at and suddenly Trini’s whole body flushes. The picture being displayed on one of the screens is of Kim and Trini kissing, quite heavily in fact.

“Huh,” Jason says, a crooked smile on his lips. “Took you guys long enough.”

“YASS!” Zack has now transitioned from hitting Jason to jumping around like a lunatic. “My OTP is CANON!” He pauses to look at the group before racing for the photo booth. The poor kid behind the counter looks pleasantly surprised by Zack practically throwing himself onto the countertop, pointing at the picture on the screen before it has a chance to fade away. He comes back a few minutes later, three pictures in hand. “One for each of you, and one for me.”

“I’m happy for you guys,” Billy says. Trini smiles as she leans back into Kim’s shoulder, feeling dopey and light as Kim nuzzles her neck and tightens her grip on her waist. Zack thumps Jason’s back a little too enthusiastically, making the red ranger wheeze.

A sudden pop in the distance makes the rangers tense up, but their instincts are put at ease when a boom follows and the diming sky lights up with an array of colors. Billy squeals and claps excitedly, asking Jason if they can run down to the beach for a better view and taking off before he even agrees. Jason laughs heartily before meeting Zack’s eye and suddenly they’re both sprinting after Billy, shoving at one another and trying to trip the other up.

Trini shakes her head. “Our boys.”

Kim hums, shifting a little to loop both arms around Trini and hold her from behind, nose buried in the crook of her neck. “Our boys indeed.”

“Should we follow them?”

“In a minute. I’m quite happy with the view from right here.”

“Oh?” Trini asks, turning in Kim’s arms so that they’re facing each other, resting her hands on Kim’s shoulders. “How’s this view?”

Kim chuckles, leaning in to rest her forehead against Trini’s. “Beautiful.”

They’re kissing once more, soft and slow and sure, and this time Trini really does see fireworks.


End file.
